1635 On The Avenue,
Restaurant & Spirits

Story and photos by Mark Shaffer

Lorett Hayes says she ended up in the restaurant business by accident. She met her future husband while working as the director of marketing and sales at a big hotel in St. Louis. The couple ended up settling in his hometown of Central, South Carolina where they opened an old-fashioned ice cream shop. And from there, she says, things just got out of hand.

One of the common denominators of the neighborhood I live in is that most of the folks love to travel. Italy is a popular destination . . . Rome, Tuscany, Venice, etc. Lately, however, in talking over travel plans with friends and neighbors, I see that Umbria is included in their itineraries. To me, this makes tremendous sense.

We're all so busy with Christmas shopping, holiday parties, and trying to enjoy every single joyous minute of the season, that at suppertime we're often too tired to come up with a dinner menu. Some nights, a delicious casserole can be a complete meal.